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# I Almost Became an Anarchist
- URL: https://thedailyeudemon.com/53192/
- Published: 2023-10-08T11:04:00.000Z
- Updated: 2023-11-08T14:21:55.000Z
- Author: Eric Scheske
- Tags: Books, Economics, Libertarianism, Murray Rothbard, #wpChunk

A mini-review of [*The Essential Rothbard* by David Gordon](https://amzn.to/2ZtU5sk?ref=thedailyeudemon.com).

Murray Rothbard almost made me an anarchist.

I had read some of Rothbard's stuff and had delved into various areas of anarchist thought ([mostly through this somewhat difficult, very thick, often fascinating volume](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1412805791/thedailyeudem-20?ref=thedailyeudemon.com)). I've abandoned such notions, but my six-month foray was worth it. The anarchists make you ask questions that every person concerned about things public (the republic) should ask: What is the origin of government? How exactly do wars happen? How can a country surrender in a war if it has no government? If the State exists by violence--actual or the threat of--does that tend to make society more violent?

I've come to view Rothbard as a great economist, a good historian, and an amateur but unique philosopher. He has his flaws (he tends to indulge in false dichotomies), but he raises questions that the American people ought to ask a lot more frequently.

Gordon's volume is a great place to start.

Oh, and why didn't I become an anarchist? Simply because of natural law. We desire to live among others, either for self-preservation or because we are social animals. Once we come together, a hierarchy will naturally develop and from there, government will form.

Anarchism, simply put, isn't natural. Rothbard believes in the natural law, but I fear he falls short in its application when it comes to our social nature.